Check out the rest of the NRL action this weekend as we preview and lob in the best bets from every other game following our Game of the Round.
It all begins with the reigning premier Melbourne Storm doing battle in the Thursday night prime time slot against Penrith, followed by Manly and the Dragons on Friday.
St George vs. Manly
march 26th 6:00pm
St George Illawarra and Manly do battle from Wollongong in a Friday night clash that is set to be a cracker.
The Dragons produced a big effort in the tropical heat of Townsville with a gutsy 25-18 victory over the Cowboys, Manly will meet a rejuvenated side with the backing of a home crowd behind them.
Coach Anthony Griffin praised his halves Ben Hunt and Corey Norman for their direction and experience last week.
It is something Manly coach Des Hasler will want from his experienced heads going into this one, especially given the winless record Manly has in Wollongong dating back to 2003.
Tom Trbojevic is nearing a return for the Sea Eagles but is expected to miss at least one more week and Dylan Walker is likely to occupy that fullback position.
Dragons at home will be hard to overcome.
Suggested Bets: St George Illawarra head to head at $1.72
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: St George Illawarra head to head
Leg 2: Total points scored under 43.5
Leg 3: C. Ramsey anytime tryscorer
Combined odds = $5.5
South Sydney vs. Sydney
march 26th 8:05pm
The Book of Feuds rivalry is set to continue on Friday night when the South Sydney Rabbitohs play host to the Sydney Roosters.
There a bit of extra spice in this game with the Roosters signing teen prodigy Joseph Suaalii from the Rabbitohs in the off-season.
Each team enters the third round with strong form – the Roosters accounted for Manly and the Wests Tigers while the Rabbitohs bounced back from their season-opening loss to Melbourne to outlast the Sea Eagles in the wet on Saturday.
The Rabbitohs did get the upper hand when these two teams met in the final round of 2020 and that will give them confidence heading into this game.
Rabbitohs halfback Adam Reynolds is likely to start despite suffering a concussion in the win last week.
While the Roosters will be looking to march into the finals and get back into premiership winning contention, the Rabbitohs look good value at home.
Suggested Bets: South Sydney Rabbitohs head to head at $2.25
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: South Sydney Rabbitohs head to head
Leg 2: Total points over 43.5
Leg 3: J. Tedesco to anytime try scorer
Combined odds = $8
Canberra vs. New Zealand
march 27th 3:00pm
Canberra are in the process of re-establishing GIO Stadium as a fortress in 2021.
The Raiders accounted for the Wests Tigers in round one at the national capital and will be heavy favourites to again benefit from home comforts against the New Zealand Warriors.
After upsetting the Titans to start the season, the Warriors lost a close contest with Newcastle at Gosford in round two via a late defensive lapse.
The Raiders will gain their co-captain for his first game of 2021 after overcoming off-season shoulder surgery.
Bayley Sironen is under an injury cloud for the Warriors after last week’s loss to Newcastle but has been named to play.
With the return of its co-captain, the Raiders should be able to get the job done comfortably in front of its home fans.
Suggested Bets: Canberra Raiders to cover the -10.5 line at $1.92
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Canberra Raiders -10.5
Leg 2: Total points scored under 42.5
Leg 3: B. Simonsson anytime try scorer
Combined odds = $6
Brisbane vs. Bulldogs
march 27th 5:30pm
The Brisbane Broncos will be looking to snap a long losing streak when it faces the Bulldogs on Saturday night at Sumcorp Stadium.
The Broncos have now lost 13 matches in a row dating back to round nine last year and coach Kevin Walters already looks to be feeling the strain.
The Bulldogs and Broncos shared the spoils in their two most recent meetings (26-18 to the Broncos in July 2020, and 30-14 to the Bulldogs in September 2019) so picking a winner this time around isn’t easy.
Perhaps the greater experience of forwards like Adam Elliott, Josh Jackson and Dylan Napa coming off the bench could swing things the Bulldogs’ way. They have the ability to keep the Dogs in the grind, whereas the Broncos are slipping in that department.
Happy to side with the Bulldogs in this one who surprisingly come up the outsiders.
Suggested Bets: Bulldogs head to head at $2.20
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Bulldogs head to head
Leg 2: Total points over 42.5
Leg 3: N. Meaney anytime try scorer
Combined odds = $6.5
Parramatta vs. Cronulla
march 27th 7:35pm
Cronulla have had the wood on Parramatta in recent years but the Eels got the better of them in 2020 and are coming into this game unbeaten after a strong start to this season.
The Sharks had won six of their previous seven clashes with Parra before last year’s 14-12 loss in round 13 in which the Eels scored one less try than their opponents but got home on the back of a Mitchell Moses penalty goal.
Brad Arthur’s side kicked off 2021 with a comeback win over Brisbane but were more impressive last Thursday when they vanquished premiers Melbourne in a slugfest at Bankwest Stadium.
The Eels will be without centre Waqa Blake for at least a month after he suffered a calf injury at training last week while Bryce Cartwright (broken jaw) and Michael Oldfield (knee) are scheduled to return between rounds four and six.
Despite the injury concerns, Parramatta boasts an impressive 76 per cent winning record at Bankwest Stadium.
Expecting the Eels to win this one, but the Sharks can definitely cover the line.
Suggested Bets: Cronulla Sharks +7.5 at $1.95
newcastle vs. wests tigers
march 28th 4:05pm
Newcastle will face a Wests Tigers side that had a shocking day against the Sydney Roosters last weekend. A 40-6 loss means they’ve now conceded 70 points over their opening two matches, but the saying does go ‘be wary of the wounded tiger.’
If Michael Maguire’s men are serious about reaching the finals, avoiding an 0-3 start is crucial.
Newcastle will have some extra motivation to get up and about for this game with Mitchell Pearce celebrating his 300th NRL game.
The Knights completely outplayed the Wests Tigers in both fixtures between the two sides last year.
Newcastle outscored the Wests Tigers 86-28 across the two clashes in 2020 and with the Tigers in losing form, it’s hard to see anything changing here.
Maybe Maguire’s men can take solace from their solid record at McDonald Jones Stadium having won three of their last four games at the venue.
This should be a win to the Knights and the line looks the way to go.
Suggested Bets: Newcastle Knights to cover the -9.5 line at $1.89
north queensland vs. gold coast
march 28th 6:15pm
The Titans boast the only win by a Queensland team so far in 2021 and will look to entrench their north-of-the-border dominance against the Cowboys after disposing of Brisbane in round two.
Hyped on the back of their five-game winning streak to finish 2020 in ninth place and off-season recruiting class headed by forwards David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Gold Coast stumbled out of the gate with an uninspiring 18-6 loss to the New Zealand Warriors.
But a dominant performance by their star recruits, including a trademark two-try performance by hard-charging Fifita, has put the hype train back on track as they head into the second leg of their Queensland double.
The Cowboys also turned in a much-improved performance against the Dragons, after failing to trouble the scorers in their opener against Penrith, but a lack of composure saw them fall short of victory.
Titans should prove too good and improve its record to 2-1 as it aims to play finals in 2021.
Suggested Bet: Gold Coast Titans to cover the -5.5 line at $1.89
